By Gbile Akanni
(Living seed Vol.8 No. 2 July 2001)
What Is Righteousness?
Righteousness means living right, and much more, it is the maintainance of a right standing, a communion and a relationship with God. It is living in a manner that God will not have a problem identifying with you; standing by you, with and for you. It involves living in a manner that God can easily admit you into His presence; and easily release Himself into your hands without anything standing between you and Him. It also means standing in a position where the power of God can flow to you at any time without hindrance. It is interchangeably used with the word holiness.
Why must we live right?
Everywhere God demands living right, it is first and foremost because He loves us. We must not see it as being put in a straightjacket or as God making life difficult. It is the devil that will make a child of God to think that what will give him an in-road to the fullness of God is something grievous. God is not asking us to live right because of a selfish reason. Holiness is a message that God preaches to a man that He loves. If God does not love a man and have his destiny in mind, He may never bother him about living right. He demands purity in a man that He wants to take far in His purpose. Holiness is demanded from a life that God will want to share eternity with. A man God has big plans for He anoints with an anointing of the Holy Spirit that the devil cannot withstand. He then becomes meticulous about such a man’s attitude to righteousness and holy living. God is not making things difficult when He demands that you live right, He only wants to prolong your life.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Heb.12.1 (KJV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every thing that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”(NIV)
“As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses round us. So then, let us rid ourselves of every thing that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us” (GNB.)
“Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” (LB.)
The “Wherefore” at the beginning of this Bible verse is very instructive. Many of us are living our Christian lives as if there is no “Wherefore”. But there was something before we became Christians. If we were the first Christians, there would not have been a “wherefore”. But we are not the pioneers. There were others before us whose pattern and standard of life we cannot ignore. Thus there is a compelling reason to consider what God is saying over this issue of righteousness.
Living Bible in addition, makes us to see that though many of us might not have planned to slip,yet something coils around our legs which makes us fall. We need to live right because we are not the first to run the Christian race. Some people have gone ahead of us – a cloud of witnesses — men of faith on a grand stand, watching how we are running our Christian race. They are watching every step we are taking. Even if you want to be careless, remember that some men that have made it are watching you. These are men that the whole of chapter eleven gave a catalogue of.
Take for example one of these men — Enoch. He lived in a community where there were no believers, no Bible study or fellowship to attend. He was the only man in the midst of his people and almost one of the youngest ones (because he was only 65 years old) when he met the Lord and began to walk with Him. He was alone because he could not fit into the community. The Bible reports that he walked with God and his life pleased God so much that one day, God took him. Enoch is waiting there.
Noah is another man that is waiting for us. He was a man who with his family in the whole world of his time was the only one that could meet the standard of holiness God was looking for. In schools, pass marks can be adjusted when many are found to be failing. But God does not adjust His standards. In that generation, only Noah and his family -eight in number, could meet up with God’s standard and so were saved, while the rest of the world was flushed out.
Joseph is also another one of them. He was a young handsome man whose master’s wife was making passes at. One day she trapped him, but Joseph preferred to run out naked than to lose his birthright of a personal relationship with God. For refusing to commit sin he was cast into prison for thirteen solid years. He had a woman begging him, yet he was not ready to break his relationship with God even for five minutes of pleasure though nobody was there.
These and many more are the men waiting on the grand stand watching how you are living your life. Every time they see you fall into sin, they wonder if you are also coming to where they are. Chapter 11 concludes that all these people have not obtained the promise because they are waiting for us. Even these men are waiting to be glorified because we have not yet come. If God will not apologize to people like Joseph for making their own standards of holiness so high, then there is a reason to check whether you are in the race or you are joking.
Daniel is there waiting. Daniel was in the University of Babylon on scholarship and there was the king’s meat that was supposed to be served to them free of charge. But this young man refused to defile himself with the king’s meat. For that reason he ate only vegetables for the years they were there. He was cast into the den of lions because he violated the decree that said no one must pray for a specific period of time. Daniel has not gone to a different heaven from the one we are going. If God had concluded their case and now has another class with a different standard, then one would have been comfortable. But God said they must wait for us. When the Bible says “Wherefore,” it means something was there before we came.
If Christianity begins with you and ends with you, it would be possible to practise it anyhow. But you are not the first runner. Men have run the race before and they have been admitted into the grand stand and kept on hold while they watch us run our own. The cloud of witnesses are waiting and watching. May be as you are running, the devil has sponsored a girl and placed her on your way and that is the reason you are about to fall. David watching from the grand stand cannot imagine why you do not know what to do — even after you have read his story. Whereas we have their story to read they had none to read during their own time.
“…Let us lay aside every weight…”
We must lay aside every weight. The weight of an object is the force of gravity that the earth is exacting on such object. That which pulls down every thing that goes up is weight. It is proportional to the quantity of matter that you carry. Weight is also the force that pulls a man down to the earth. It is a force that will not allow you to climb up. And that weight can be your wife, ambition, that young man that you want to marry or anything that is not allowing you to run this race with determination. Look a that verse in the Living Bible translation:
“Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off any thing that slows us down or holds us back, especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.”
Weight is anything that slows and pulls us down to the earth. Since there are people who have gone ahead of us – men who have laid a standard and set a record – watching as witnesses the way we are running the race, it will be very absurd to think you can run the race anyhow and expect to win a crown. Therefore let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily entangle itself around our lives.
We need to run the race with patience, perseverance and determination because others have gone ahead. Some jeopardized their lives because of this race — they were sawn asunder, roasted alive and put through fire. Some were dragged on the ground because they refused to compromise their faith. They are waiting on the grand stand. I am sure some of them are surprised at the sluggishness with which we are doing what we are doing. They must be wondering if God has changed, as they wait for us to join them. Check your life and see if you are really planning to go to heaven. The reason you must live right is because others who have gone ahead cannot be crowned until we join them.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. ” Heb.12:11
God, because of His love for us, desires that we become partakers of His glory. And as such, His correction of our lives is because He does not want us to be embarrassed on that day. It might not be palatable now but it is for our good.
Only the son the father, loves, he chastens. Those that are not properly born again will not rejoice when the Holy Spirit begins to probe into their lives in order to remove those things that are not compatible with heaven.
“…Make a straight path for your feet”
The Bible says because you are a partaker of the heavenly kingdom you should lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and make a straight path for your feet. Your path needs to be straight. The pastor, even though you are always in the church, may not know the real you. Nobody knows about you. Nobody can give a correct testimony about you because nobody knows what you are doing You change church as soon as the word of God is hitting you hard or repentance is demanded from you. Your paths are not straight
Pastors, why will you pick a backslider as one of your church workers? Somebody ran away from discipline in one church, as soon as he got to your own, you started seeing the glory of God on him. How can you see the glory of God all over a backslider if you are not a backslider yourself? It means even you, as a pastor, are not sure of where you are going. Christianity that is not straightforward cannot lead a man anywhere except to the dungeon. It is only when you come to church that you are found praying in tongues. At home or in your office your record is not correct. The Bible says, make a straight path for your feet. You might think, “But I am not the only one who is living a crooked life.” That is very true because there is always a ‘ship’ that takes men to ‘Tarshish’. When Jonah decided to run away from the presence of God, he found a ship. For you that ship could be friendship, partnership, fellowship, courtship, scholarship, relationship etc. There is always a ship that takes a man from the will of God. I wonder which one you have joined?
Some have joined fellowships that do not believe that the Lord is a consuming fire. They only believe in the goodness of God and not in holiness. I wonder where a ship that has neither helped you to straighten your life nor delivered you from sleeping with other people’s wives is carrying you. “Wherefore make a straight path” because there is an inheritance that God is planning for you. God does not understand why your path is not straightforward while others who are waiting on the grand stand jeopardized they lives to live righteously. Do you not understand that the word of God says that the soul that sinneth shall die? Or that the Bible says, whosoever is committing sin is of the devil?. The reason to live right is that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. Ministry is good but it is not a credential for heaven. Holiness is the key. Some are beautitul believers on Wednesdays and Sundays simply because they want to catch a girl. Your path is not straight!
“…Not like Esau…”
The Bible tells us about one who missed his heavenly heritage. His name is Esau. God signaled him as an example to us. God said, let nobody be like him. What did he do that heaven signaled him out? Esau was a careless person who sold his birthright for a morsel of food. Esau had a good background. He came from the family of Isaac. It was by prayer that his mother conceived him. His father had to entreat God for his wife to conceive. This woman continued to entreat the Lord even during pregnancy until she put to bed. And by the grace of God, he came out as the first born of Isaac. It then meant that if he did not deviate, he was going to inherit all that his father had. The entire covenant and promises made with Abraham were to be his. These children grew without other children coming after them. So they were precious children especially as they were children of old age. Remember that all the cattle that Abraham had, Isaac had inherited and he had many more. Rebekkah also brought cattle when she married. All these would have been Esau’s own. But Esau became a hunter. He was not born a hunter. In his family line there was no hunter both in his father and mother’s line. They were all shepherds having plenty flock. The Bible says he was a man of open country. He never stayed at home under the tutelage of his parents.
What was he hunting for? It could have been for rats and rabbits. Could he have ever caught enough to equal the meat in his father’s house? When a man decides to go outside the will of God he goes into the bush. When you will not stay under the confines of the Almighty God, what you become will be a useless thing. Esau was not only hunting for rabbits; he was also hunting for girls. At the age of 40, he had already married two wives. And none of them could even cook for him. That was why he had to beg his junior brother for red stew when he returned from hunting. So Esau was also hunting for pepper soup. That was why he was nicknamed Edom. Esau would do any thing for red stew! When Jacob asked him for his birthright in exchange for a spoon of red stew, Esau quickly accepted the bargain. He had concluded that he was a dead man without that stew. How could not eating a spoon of red stew make him die? But Esau sold his birthright for a spoon of red stew.
Instead of dwelling in God’s presence, many of you have become hunters moving up and down, here and there in the bush of this world. What are you looking for? What do you need that God would not have supplied? You have no time to sit down and take care of your soul. That was how Esau went. He was a man that was always responding to temporary pressure. There are some of you today whenever you are pressed, you go out and fornicate. And you sell out your birthright for a few minutes of pleasure. Some of you have married “trouble” because you rushed and mortgaged your birthright. Young girl, have you not sold your birthright simply because you were pressed for some money? Your life is spoilt because of that little money you are receiving from that man. Except God helps you, your life will remain spoilt forever.
Esau sold his birthright and went away as if he was never going to need it. Are you living carelessly and selling out your birthright because of temporary issues. Are you compromising your faith because you needed a small contract? Are you beginning to tell lies in order to get a job? Young girl, have you succumbed to sleeping with that man in order to get admission? That was how Esau went. The Bible says “… that afterward…” There is an “afterward” to your decision and the direction you are facing. When you go into fornication, cheating and lying, there is an “afterward.” Once any food or drink is passed from the throat into the stomach, the taste is also forgotten. What is it that is so precious to you that can make you lose your place and position in the kingdom of God? Could it be money? You can pile up money without knowing who will spend it. Do not be a miserable man, because money will finish. If it does not finish before you, it will finish you and send you naked into a hopeless eternity. “Afterward” when Esau would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. May you not be rejected in Jesus name. So brothers, sisters, there is an “afterward” to every decision and direction you are taking. Others have gone who lived with eternity in view. They refused temporary relief so that they could get an eternal heritage. Others sacrificed their pleasure so as to enter the eternal pleasure of our God. Some made themselves of no reputation in this world so as to wear the crown, they endured hardship so that they can reign with Jesus. Some girls have stayed true to their faith to the end in spite of several temptations to deviate. They did not spoil themselves. Esau found no place for repentance. But thank God today there is a place of repentance.
“…Unto a General Assembly”
“For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest and the sound of trumpet, and the voice of words; which they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore: for they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Heb. 12:18-24
No matter how wonderful the sound of a trumpet is, that is not what we have come to. Rather we have come to mount Zion. And the Bible in Obadiah 17 says, “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” When a man comes to Jesus, he has come to a place of deliverance: deliverance from the devil, the powers of darkness, from sin, the world, sickness etc. It is also a place of holiness.
When you step out to give your life to Jesus, you have come to a general assembly. This assembly is different from the local assembly. In the local assembly, you can be a champion. Take for instance, a sports fiesta; you will note that all that come to represent their countries are the champions in their respective countries. But in the competitions, some of these local champions are usually flushed out. Sister, you have not come to a local assembly. If it were a matter of a local assembly you could do as you normally do in such an assembly. But you have come to a general assembly. There is a syllabus for the general assembly and each one of us needed to get that syllabus. Whether the local pastor is teaching you or not, study the syllabus. Brother, if there were no general assembly or the church of the First born, God would not be bothering you. But there is one. And the Bible is the complete syllabus for the general assembly. You need to get ready for it. Saints made perfect will be there at the general assembly. What is obtainable in a local assembly might not be sufficient for the general assembly. Holiness is one of the core courses of the general assembly. If you are not living right, I wonder where you are going. You cannot blame any pastor when we get to the general assembly. Even the pastors will line up like everyone else. You will not be able to hide under any man, on that day every one will give an account of himself. Are you getting ready for the general Assembly where sin does not have a place? In this place, sinners will be faced with shame; compromisers will not have a seat. The general assembly is for overcomers, not compromisers. You may be singing in the choir here, but are you qualified to sing at the general assembly? “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Vs. 28
Rather than look for excuse or where to hide, we must look for grace, “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Vs.29)
Where we are going is eternal. You can afford to be careless with earthly things for they will one-day pass away. But, to miss it at the general assembly is to face eternal shame. When you get to hell those that never went to church will wonder at you. Making your life straight is not something to contemplate. It is a priority. You need to make up your mind. Some of those we are running with have already reached there. If one must pattern his life, it has to be after those that have already made it. Those that are here and telling you it does not matter are all “awaiting result”. Don’t follow them, follow those that have already made it. May the Lord help you to make the right choice as the “wherefores” of righteousness hook your heart from this day in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Efficacy of Rigtheousnesss
“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shall thou be established: thou shall be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” — Isa. 54: 13-17 KJV.
“Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor 6:14- 7:1
Another reason for living right is the fact that righteousness has a reward. It provides a covering. In 2 Cor 6 there is something you will discover that God has already decided that He is going to do for us. But the pre-condition for that thing is that you must live right. All the questions brought out in series by the Holy Spirit in vs. 14 &15 did not just demand an answer from us. It is the incompatibility that unrighteousness and compromise will bring to the personality of our living Father, who has chosen to live within us that is the matter here. In vs. 16, the Holy Spirit brings us to a point where God was making a declaration. God declared that he would dwell in, walk in and be a Father to as many as will agree to be separated unto Him. Such a people will also be acknowledged as His people. Our Father who is in heaven is the same that has declared that He will dwell and walk inside of us. It is based on this declaration that God is demanding Holy living from us. When God is staying inside a man, such a man is no longer equal with his colleagues. So God demands that such a man should come out from among them. This is why unequal yoking cannot be tolerated. God wants to make us mobile houses. That is why we too with boldness can say that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. So, for a man who is carrying God to go and yoke himself with an unbeliever is an unequal yoking. It is as if that man forgot who dwells inside him. The Lord is therefore commanding you to “come out and be ye separate” so that He can receive you and be a Father to you and you will be His daughter or son. If there is any reason why I should keep myself holy it is because of what God has said. He wants to work in me His wonders to perform.
God wants to dwell in a man in which there is no shadow between him and God and his heart has a correct atmosphere for God to dwell in. God does not just want to visit; He wants to go with us every step of the journey. For this to happen daily and moment by moment, the atmosphere of holiness is demanded because God is of a purer eye that He cannot behold iniquity. The devil knows that a man in whom God has decided to stay is an unconquerable man. Such a man must overcome! God cannot be pushed up and down. God will fight such a man’s battle. Such a man cannot be roughhandled because at any time the devil wants to roughhandle him, God, who is dwelling inside of him, will rise to stop the devil. God has already made the declaration. And when God has said a thing, it is settled. He even sealed that declaration with His signature, signed: “God Almighty”. God has decided that He will be a Father unto you. That means He will bear your personal responsibilities. As a son you become an heir, a legal owner of God’s inheritance. It means you can walk to Him and ask for your portion of His goods and He will not refuse. It means it is His responsibility and duty to meet the needs of your life. The Bible then says in 2 Cor. 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh : and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” The message of righteousness is to the dearly beloved. It is because God has decided to really love you that He is telling you His secret. This is the secret of power. The devil knows there is power in purity and that is why he keeps tempting you with sin. “In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be free from oppression: for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 54:14,17
The basis for claiming the protection and covering of the Lord is when you are walking in righteousness. 2 Cor.7:1 still emphasizes this fact. Because of these great exceeding promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness, … perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Holiness is the response of a man’s heart to the presence of God. When a man becomes conscious of the presence of God in his heart whatever is wrong cannot find expression around him.
A man having a right standing with God cannot be moved. There is no case you can proffer against him; you will fail. Whatever you do against him, he will overcome. Do not accuse a man, who is walking in right standing with God, because his redeemer will jump on you. No weapon fashioned against such a man shall prosper. God is dwelling in such a man. He is not just any God, He is God Almighty.
As long as God is there, no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper. The devil knows it. So all he desires is to get you out of His fellowship. His only strategy is to lure you out of the presence of God. He longs to isolate you for Slaughter. When a man is in right standing with God, the devil cannot do him any harm. As soon as satan gets a man out of the shadow of the Almighty, he now takes the liberty to deal ruthlessly and mercilessly with him.
The case of Israel and the Moabites
Let us illustrate this with the story of the children of Israel when they left Egypt. As long as they were walking with God, they won every battle. It was God that went to battle for them. They only came behind to collect the spoils,
“And the children of Israel set forward and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side of Jordan by Jericho, And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.” Num.22:1-3
The children of Israel set forward. Any time a child of God sets forward, there ‘s always an emgrgency meeting that is called on the other side in hell. The devil looks for a way to stop him. The devil is always afraid of a man in whom God is living. Balak then went to Balaam, a prophet to come and curse the children of Israel for him. Balaam followed Balak. In order for Balaam to be able to do anything, Balak had to spend much. He constructed seven altars and prepared the place for Balaam to prophesy.
“And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? Or how shall I defy whom the LORD hath not defiled?” Num. 23:5-8
Nobody can curse a man whom God has not cursed. It is a rule. Balaam was saying something to Balak, which Balak did not understand. He told him that these people had a right standing with God and as such they could not be cursed. God was in the midst of them. When a man is walking in righteousness, leave him alone. He may look weak on the outside, but he has God on the inside. Remember Saul on his way to Damascus. The Lord met him and charged him “why persecutest thou Me?” Saul never met Jesus in person but as he was persecuting Christians, he was charged for persecuting the Lord Jesus. If you stand against a righteous man, you are fighting the Lord and it is like kicking against the pricks. You will only wound yourself. Balak was not happy with Balaam. Balaam made him to again spend constructing other altars.
“And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the lord spoken? And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and Shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and He hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” 23:15-24
When God has blessed a man nobody can reverse it, The blessings of the Lord are irreversible. Remember that when Isaac blessed Jacob, it could not be reversed when Esau came around.
As Balaam was talking he was revealing a secret that the Bible called the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam was saying they could not be conquered because God had not beheld iniquity in them and as such He, God was in their midst. God sits in the midst of His children quietly when there is no opposition. And when an enemy is advancing towards His children thinking they are ordinary people, the enemy will suddenly hear the shout of a king. Balaam was telling Balak, that though they may look ordinary, there is somebody extra ordinary — the Almighty God – in the midst of them. He is always there as long as He does not see perverseness or iniquity in them, and nobody can conquer them. As feeble as they look; God is in their midst. Balak then told Balaam that if he cannot curse them, then he should not bless them.
By the time Balak made the third altar; he had already sacrificed twenty one bullocks and twenty-one rams. Balaam did not even bother to go as at other times to seek for what to say because there is no enchantment against Jacob and no divination against Israel. Once God is in the midst of a people, even if someone takes a loud speaker and is making incantation against them, they can smile. This is because God is there and no incantation will work. He that keepeth Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers. Balaam then decided to leave because he knew he could not curse them. And so verse 25 of chapter 24 said, “And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.” Yet, the story did not end there. In Rev. 2 14, the Bible says:
“But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”
Balaam made Balak to understand why he could not conquer the Israelites. He then went ahead to explain how they can be conquered. Balaam made Balak to know that the only way the children of Israel could be conquered is if sin is found among them. This is because God will not remain in their midst if He sees iniquity or perverseness in them. Balaam thus made Balak to know that if he can introduce iniquity into their midst, they will be defeated. Since Balaam taught Balak this lesson, Balak learnt it and his descendants have used it ever since against the children of Israel. You cannot conquer a child of God by persecution. Opposition cannot conquer the church. But iniquity will empty the church of her authority. Thus Balaam taught Balak how to introduce iniquity into the midst of the children of Israel by using the daughters of Moab to entice the men of Israel. And so we saw in Chapters 25:1-3; 9. “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand”
What machine gun could not do, sin did; and did it in a very short time. There is no weapon effective in pulling a man of God down as the weapon of iniquity. The reason the devil is always luring you into sin is because he knows that is the weapon that works most. When you go out to most restaurants, the advertising agents are daughters of Moab. They stand there inviting you to their eating place, and you who cannot leave five hundred Naira for your wife to cook with will spend one thousand Naira on a plate of food. Daughters of Moab are used in almost every advertisement. When a church is beginning to be weak, go into the rank and file of it, you will find fornication. Some girls would have been sponsored into the church choir. You will think they came because of anointing. They actually came for something else. No matter how big a ministry is, when the devil sponsors sin into it, the end of that ministry is in view.
The Bible says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov. 14:34.) The devil can never stop tempting men with sin because it is a proven weapon. Sin can do in few days what no other weapon can do in many years. The devil has got hold of a weapon. He will not fight some of us directly; instead he uses sin to finish us. God has said He will dwell among us, but He cannot dwell where there is iniquity. The devil has used iniquity to scatter many lives and many homes. A lot of people have fallen into the trap. Some men of God who used to have terrific anointing only come now to shout. The devil has leaked them out. They will not confess because they feel that if it becomes known the ministry will spoil. Let me tell you, it is already spoilt.
Once the devil got hold of that secret, he held on to it. Samson could not be conquered until it was found that he liked women. That was how Delilah was sponsored into his life. And Samson that could slaughter several thousands with the jaw bone of an ass and could come out of a walled city by removing the gate, was brought down on the lap of a Philistine lady. My brother, committing sin secretly only drives God away from your life while the key of your life is then handed over to the devil. Every perverseness — telling lies, doing things underhandedly makes God to withdraw. If God withdraws from your life, who can carry you? If you begin to experience divine resistance who can assist you? Yet sin can make God to resist you. Perverseness could be of pride, arrogance, and underhandedness — doing business with a brother and quietly cheating him. What you have done is to hand over the key to the devil. Every time you indulge in a secret sin, no matter how small, you are simply telling God to hands off from your life and in the same breath asking the adversary to take over. Sin is a reproach, it is a disgrace, and it will make you to become useless. We may look ordinary on the outside, and feeble, but as long as we maintain holiness, the supernatural Father dwells inside of us and fights our battles. He goes ahead to seek a resting place for our lives.
Brother, note the way Samson’s strength was razed down. He was found on the lap of a woman to whom he revealed the secret of his anointing. It was this lady that carried razor blade and razed down the anointing that he took many years to grow. It takes many years to build a prayer life, and it can be razed down in five minutes. After she razed down his anointing, she began to torture him. Sin does not come to encourage. There could be the pretence of love, but once sin succeeds, it tortures. Sin makes the most powerful of men helpless. It makes a man dumb and weak as a piece of bread. When Samson woke up, he thought he could shake himself as usual, not knowing that the Spirit had left him. The Philistines then came upon him and scooped out his eyes, The devil likes leaving permanent, indelible damage once he can get a man. You play with sin because you do not know there is a man behing it who is planning to cut your life short. That is how Samson became a grinder of stone. A man who was born to do exploits became a man who does sport, to entertain his oppressors.
It was Balam that told the devil the secret. The power of a Christian is not in himself, but in God who works in us to do of his good pleasure. Paul says,
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)
“ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
The secret of our victory is God dwelling in us. But iniquity will drive Him out. If sin had already wounded you, please cry to God. With the Israelites, the solution came when Phinehas with a javelin pierced through an Israelite and a Midianite woman. Even with us, what is needed is a javelin that will tear our heart apart so that all the deadly poison that the devil has put in there may come out. Righteousness is the power of the believer. The Bible says that in righteousness shall you be established. Once a man is in righteousness, no power or divination can work against him. If God be for us who can be against us?
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Rm. 8:31. In the same way, if God is against you, who can assist you? Yet, sin can make Him to be against a man. Iniquity makes God to throw a man to the devil. You could be telling yourself that nobody is perfect. That is the doctrine of the devil. Apply the javelin and not Vaseline. Behind every sin, there is an army of wicked demons waiting to ravage your life. Refuse to be entangled in the cobweb of the devil. It is better to die a hero for God than to become an exhibit of the devil in this world. Preacher, the devil has discovered a secret that destroys anointing very fast. It is the secret of sin. Do not agree to be ridiculed in your lifetime.
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor. 7:1
This is because it is on the mountain of holiness that there is deliverance. “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions” (Obadiah 17)
My brother, my sister there is a reason to be righteous. Cry out as you remove all filthiness from your life that the Almighty God may dwell within you and you can again possess your possession. Bow the knee, bow the heart and pray now!
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